Chapter 2439: Chapter 2439
"Don’t get cocky, kid! Once I recover, we’ll have a rematch!" Sharman retorted indignantly, his voice laced with stubborn pride.
"Anytime! I’ll be waiting!" Ye Liuyun shot back with an easy grin.
Deep down, Sharman recognized Ye Liuyun’s kindness and accepted the gesture without protest, gathering the offered supplies gratefully. Truth be told, he wasn’t lying about his circumstances—wealth had never been his forte. Born into modest means, every resource he possessed was painstakingly earned through sheer effort. Merely sustaining his cultivation was struggle enough; accumulating riches had never been an option.
With that, Sharman focused on replenishing his Xuan Yuan energy. His internal injuries had nearly healed completely by now. *What on earth did that kid give me?* he marveled inwardly. *This recovery speed is unbelievable!* Not only were his internal wounds mending, but even the gashes on his skin were knitting together seamlessly.
Outside the protective barrier, Ye Liuyun stood vigilant guard. Though his epiphany had been interrupted, the prolonged immersion in blade intent had still elevated his comprehension, allowing the seed of his sword meaning to ascend to new heights.
Now operating at the pinnacle of perfected blade intent, his strikes became lethally efficient. Ordinary beasts fell with a single slash, their lives extinguished before they could react. Even mountainous creatures far surpassing his own strength crumbled beneath his blade when he channeled the primal forces of heaven and earth—each swing capable of cleaving peaks and parting seas, an unstoppable force of destruction.
Weaker beasts whimpered and trembled before his aura, prostrating themselves in terrified submission. Gradually, only the most formidable predators dared challenge him—and even then, they came not alone, but in small, coordinated packs.
Unfazed, Ye Liuyun whirled his Demon-Slaying Saber with deadly precision, carving through the onslaught with effortless grace. Watching from within the barrier, Sharman felt a swell of quiet satisfaction. *His progress,* he thought with a faint smile, *carries a trace of my contribution too.*
But then it occurred to him that if he were to fight Ye Liuyun again in the future, he might not stand a chance. Immediately, he focused all his energy on cultivation.
Meanwhile, outside, Ye Liuyun was beginning to understand just how difficult it had been for Sharman to protect him.
Though his blade intent had grown stronger, feral beast still occasionally slipped past him to attack the protective barrier. Unlike cultivation, which allowed one to shut out external distractions, epiphanies required absolute stillness—not even the slightest disturbance to the barrier could be tolerated. It dawned on him how much effort Sharman must have expended to maintain such conditions.
After slaying the beasts, Ye Liuyun collected their meat as food reserves and tossed all the energy crystals into the barrier without hesitation. Even the storage rings he looted from occasional bandits were thrown in as well.
True to his word, Sharman had a method for rapidly replenishing his true energy. Within a day, he had fully recovered. When he opened his eyes and saw the pile of resources beside him, he froze in surprise.
But watching Ye Liuyun tirelessly cutting down beasts and hurling crystals into the barrier, he quickly understood. Without delay, he donned the armor Ye Liuyun had given him, ready to join the fight.
Yet the armor itself left him stunned.
*"This is top-tier gear!"* he marveled inwardly.
Not only did it boast dual-layered defenses, but it even had forearm shields—perfectly suited to his combat style. He then pulled out the two defensive orbs Ye Liuyun had handed him earlier and realized they were also high-quality artifacts.
Just then, Ye Liuyun finished off the last of the beasts and began clearing the battlefield.
"What are you standing around for?" Ye Liuyun called out, noticing Sharman staring blankly at the orbs in his hands.
"This gift is far too generous for me to accept!" Sharman hesitated, feeling somewhat embarrassed by Ye Liuyun’s lavish present.
"Oh, you mean these? No treasure in the world could ever match the loyalty you’ve shown me," Ye Liuyun replied casually, gesturing for him to pick up the crystals from the ground before joining him for some roasted meat.
"Do you still have enough for yourself?" Sharman couldn’t shake off his concern, worried that Ye Liuyun might have given away all his best resources.
"Plenty to spare—don’t worry about it!"
Only after Ye Liuyun reassured him did Sharman finally tuck the items away.
But when it came to the crystals, he adamantly refused. "These are the fruits of your own labor—I can’t possibly take them!"
Ye Liuyun didn’t press the issue, simply storing the resources away with a chuckle. "At least you won’t say no to some roasted meat, right?"
"Haha, absolutely not!" Sharman laughed heartily in response.
The two of them soon got to work roasting meat, feasting and sparring between bites.
The rich aroma drew in a few wild beasts—Sharman handled the smaller groups, while Ye Liuyun took care of larger numbers.
Their moods were light, their temperaments perfectly matched. Having forged a bond through life-and-death trials, they even agreed to travel together from then on.
But just as they were enjoying their meal, the scent of roasting meat attracted another group—this time, a band of martial cultivators.
There were twelve in total, half of them as formidable as Liao Yunyang, while the remaining six were roughly on par with Sharman.
"Should we make ourselves scarce?" Sharman whispered urgently to Ye Liuyun the moment he spotted them.
Truth be told, Ye Liuyun’s spiritual senses were far keener—he had detected their approach long before. But instead of concern, he saw an opportunity. *Perfect timing*, he thought. *More strong recruits for the taking.*
Especially those six powerful martial artists—he was determined to recruit them for his own use.
"No need. My spatial world has people who can handle them," Ye Liuyun reassured Sharman, laying his cards on the table.
Relieved, Sharman quickly finished the remaining roasted meat in his hands.
Ye Liuyun, however, continued eating at a leisurely pace, as if completely unaware of the approaching group.
When the men drew near, they were puzzled to see Ye Liuyun and Sharman showing no signs of fear.
The leader of the group eyed their attire and sneered, "A soldier and an assassin, pretending to be calm?"
The others burst into mocking laughter.
"Hurry up and roast some meat for us. If we’re satisfied, we might spare your lives!" another strongman chimed in.
Hearing this, Ye Liuyun couldn’t help but chuckle. Casually lifting a freshly roasted piece of meat, he turned to Sharman, "You full already? Want more?"
"Of course! Why not?" Sharman took it and bit off a huge chunk.
"Delicious!" he added with relish.
"Playing tricks!"
One of the martial artists couldn’t hold back any longer. He stepped forward, ready to strike.
But then, Ye Liuyun summoned his doppelgänger and the fourteen powerful martial artists by his side, leaving the twelve opponents utterly dumbfounded.
"Misunderstanding! All a misunderstanding!" The leader immediately backtracked, his face plastered with obsequious flattery.
"Who said anything about a misunderstanding?" Ye Liuyun shot back.
The martial artist, though clearly outmatched, tried to maintain his composure. "You may have the upper hand," he said with forced calm, "but taking us all down without a scratch will cost you dearly.
Why don’t we both back off? We’ll leave some resources as compensation, and we’ll go our separate ways. What do you say?"
"Cost us?" Ye Liuyun scoffed with a derisive laugh. With a wave of his hand, ten metal puppets materialized, encircling the group in an instant.
Simultaneously, both his main body and his doppelganger launched a soul attack against the two strongest martial artists in their ranks. Before anyone could react, the pair had been branded with slave seals.
